Alberta M. Castaneda, Ph.D., of Austin, Texas, died as the result of a house fire on Saturday, October 11, 2014. She was born August 15, 1922, in Yakima, Washington, to Francis Anthony and Sylvia Bates Mondor. She is preceded in death by her parents, her five brothers and sisters, and her son, Drew Castaneda.
Dr. Castaneda completed her B.A. in Education at what is now Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington. She taught kindergarten in California and Washington state before moving to Austin, where she taught at Casis before returning to college. She completed her Masters and Doctorate in Education at The University of Texas at Austin. She joined the UT Austin faculty, and retired as an Associate Professor in the College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Her publications included a well-known series of mathematics textbooks, workbooks, and teacher's guides for early primary grades that were used throughout Texas.
Dr. Castaneda is survived by her daughter Marie Tidmore, and son-in-law Al Mikula. No public services are planned. Those wishing to memorialize Dr. Castaneda are invited to consider making a contribution to The Nature Conservancy, her favorite charity.
